Small Business Marketing: Why Maintaining a Digital Presence is Important

National Small Business Week, May 12-15, recognizes the contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners. While they’re working to fulfill customer’s needs, create jobs, and drive innovation, it’s important for owners to get the help they need on their own small business marketing to ensure growth and success.

Emilia Andrews, COO, Beholder Productions

Emilia Andrews, COO of Beholder states, "Fresh, engaging content has never been as important as it is today. Small Business Marketing helps to Increase Awareness, Drive Sales, Enhance Social Media, Improve Online Presence, & Be a Trusted Resource."

Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) May 09, 2014

Small businesses fill a special niche in our society. They offer customers local options and local choices. Many small businesses operate on smaller budgets and word of mouth reviews. However, in this increasingly digital age, it is important that small business marketing not just focus on print advertising and word of mouth, but also on building and maintaining a digital presence.

It is true that even without a custom website, small businesses have an online presence through review sites such as Yelp, Google +, AngiesList, and Urban Spoon among others. These sites all provide a place for customers to leave comments about a small business. A recent study by Dimensional Research shows that 2/3 of all people research small business marketing strategies and products online. That means that customers will be researching a business online, most likely before they call or walk in.

When small businesses fail to build and maintain a website and online presence, the information a potential customer finds will be based entirely on reviews. The information a potential customer can find online about your business is crucial to their buying decisions. The study by Dimensional Research also shows that 90% of participants remember reading positive reviews that influence their buying decisions and 86% of participants remember reading negative reviews that influence their buying decisions.

One of the best ways to contribute to an online presence and influence potential customers is by creating and maintaining a digital presence using these small business marketing solutions.

Web Design and Development

The most important way to maintain a digital presence is through a company website. Your small business marketing should include a strategy to position and promote your company’s brand, products and services throughout the website.

Provide customers with information about your business that they are interested in.
Update your website with testimonials, case studies, current news and information.
Write and create articles and post blogs about topics that relate to your small business.
Develop specific landing pages to help a small business monitor how it’s capturing leads.
Recognize that it’s not enough anymore to have a brochure type website.

A robust website will provide potential customers with a reference point to review your business information and products for themselves before they put their purchasing power behind the business.

If you haven’t updated the website over the last 2 years, consider a change. Modern websites incorporate a responsive design that allows a site to be conveniently viewed onto a mobile unit. Not only will this help with SEO and SEM (Search Engine Optimization and Marketing) efforts, but it will be able to help customers find more about your small business when they’re doing a mobile search. Hours, directions, phone numbers will automatically pop up on the mobile device rather than having to do a traditional web navigation search to your contact page.

Content Marketing

Content marketing is a strategic and consistent marketing format that involves the creation and sharing of media and published content in order to acquire customers. This information can be presented in a variety of formats, including blogs, news, video, white papers, infographics, case studies, how-to guides, Q&A articles, photos, videos and more.

Emilia Andrews, COO of Beholder Productions states, "Fresh, engaging content has never been as important as it is today. Meet consumer demands with Content Marketing Services. This will help Increase Awareness, Drive Leads and Sales, Enhance Social Media, Improve Online Presence and allows businesses to become Trusted Resources."

Content marketing is not focused on selling, but on communicating with customers and prospects. The goal is to inspire business and loyalty from buyers by delivering consistent, ongoing valuable information making you the trusted resource for those needs.

Social Media

First, create and maintain a Facebook page. Maintaining a Facebook page allows you to connect with your customers in a more personal way. It will also allow current customers a place to talk about how they like the business, thereby providing free advertising every time they “check in” or “like” something on the Facebook page.

Another means of developing your small business marketing digital presence is through Twitter. Twitter sends out tweets to your followers, and connects with followers on a daily basis. Use Twitter to build a following by posting tweets about the topics related to your small business.

Other social media accounts like Pinterest, Instagram, etc. may be useful, but understanding which works best for your company’s small business marketing efforts should be explored during the strategic planning phase.

Conversations Convert Viewers into Buyers

Creating a digital presence will help small businesses connect with today’s consumers who search before they buy. These small business marketing efforts help control the conversation that occurs between the business online and the consumer, and keeps the conversations flowing in a positive direction.

Know When You Need Help

While many entrepreneurs may have social media accounts, creating and managing content for small business marketing goals takes strategy, planning, and consistency. It is not the same as managing a personal account.

Consider the services of a Content Marketing Agency to help develop custom content as part of a small business marketing strategy. There are cost effective solutions available that will help reach small business marketing goals within a budget.

Creating and Maintaining a Digital Presence is Important because it will help make sure the small business marketing efforts and goals are successful!

About the Author: Emilia Andrews is Chief Operating Officer at Beholder Productions, a creative content marketing agency that specializes in small business marketing, content marketing, film and video production, web design and development, and social media marketing. Connect, engage, and retain loyal customers with consistent branded content.